Sports: South High edged by Glens Falls in rivalry showdownPublished Feb. 2, 2013

At least that was the case in a 59-51 victory over rival South Glens Falls Sunday.

Girard's 21 first-half points led Glens Falls to a 12-point halftime lead, but the senior was held scoreless in the third quarter as the Bulldogs took a two-point lead into the final period.

Two free throws early in the fourth, however, helped Girard catch fire again. He followed those with two 3-pointers during an 11-0 run that ended up being the difference in the game.

Senior Rick Buser led the Bulldogs with 16 points while junior Travis Ramsey had 15.

The game was the first of five contests played at Siena's Alumni Recreation Center for the Coaches Vs. Cancer High School Challenge.

"Cam is a great player," Buser said of Girard. "He's really quick and he's a great 3-point shooter. You're expecting that 3-point shot and when you go out there, he crosses you over and beats you to the hole."

The victory helped Glens Falls (8-2, 9-5) move into sole possession of second place in the Foothills Council while South Glens Falls (7-3,

8-6) dropped to third.

"It was huge not only for the league standings but also from a personal standpoint because we don't like losing to South High," Girard said of the rivalry.

Whether it was Buser, Ramsey or Luke VanDixhorn guarding him -- or all three at once -- Girard could not be stopped in the first half.

The Glens Falls senior opened the scoring on a contested 3-pointer then used a combination of dribble penetration and outside shooting to finish the first quarter with 11 points.

"I knew I had to come out and make a few shots," Girard said. "Once I hit my first one, I felt that I had it so I kept letting them fly."

Balanced scoring from Justin Ducey and Ramsey kept Bulldogs within 27-22 midway through the second quarter, but Girard answered with seven straight points to give Glens Falls a 34-22 halftime lead.

It took the entire third quarter for the Bulldogs to erase the 12-point deficit.

Buser scored on consecutive lay-ups then stepped back for a 3-pointer that forced a Glens Falls timeout. After Jake Dailey stopped the run with a steal and a lay-up, the Bulldogs scored the final six points of the quarter to take a 41-39 lead into the fourth quarter.

"The kids responded," South Glens Falls coach Al Vasak said. "Especially in this environment Coaches Vs. Cancer (event) we wanted to put on a good show with the kids from Glens Falls."

The hustle of Dailey, however, helped Glens Falls regain control of the game.

The senior had two steals that led to easy baskets and beat his man down court for an easy lay-up during a 16-2 fourth quarter run.

"Jake came up big defensively for us when things were going against us," Glens Falls coach Tony Hammel said. "He came up with a couple steals and easy baskets that helped us out a lot. He's our spark."

Buser made consecutive 3-pointers to bring the Bulldogs within 55-51 with 1:46 to play, but it turned out to be their final points of the game.

VanDixhorn's 3-point attempt rolled around the rim and out and Ducey went 0-for-2 from the line on the ensuing South Glens Falls possession. Glens Falls made all four of their free throws down the stretch to seal the win.

Girard was named a scholar athlete and player of the game for his effort, while Bailey was named to the all-tournament team. Buser was named to the all-tournament team for the Bulldogs while Josh Hay earned the scholar athlete award.

It was the second game in two days for South Glens Falls after beating Johnstown 52-41 Saturday afternoon.

The quick turnaround may have hurt the Bulldogs on Sunday as starters had to be rotated in the fourth quarter and the bench was held scoreless.

Girard scored 28 points against the Bulldogs in their first meeting this season but it was during a losing effort.

"It was a disappointing loss when they beat us at our place," Hammel said of the 55-52 defeat. "They're a good, quality team. We just picked it up defensively and ran some sets offensively."

Stopping those sets is something Vasak hopes his team will do come playoff time.

"Those were sectional screens," the first-year varsity basketball coach said. "Getting through those screens will be our focus to make sure we're ready for sectional play and those kind of teams."